An Introduction to Sustainability Meggie Powers, 2010 Graduate, Eli Broad College of Business GBL480 Environmental Law and Sustainability Honors-Option May 3, 2010 Editing by Professor Paulette L. Stenzel

Copyright © 2010, Margaret Powers and Paulette L. Stenzel. Reproduction permission granted for use in educational settings so long as all parts used are properly attributed to the authors.

Introduction

y Senior at Michigan State University y Major: Supply Chain Management y Specializations: International Business and

Environmental Studies

y Project is part of class: Environmental Law and Sustainability for Business y Goal is to teach the younger generations about the

importance of sustainability

What does sustainability mean to you?

What sorts of things do you think of when you hear this word?

What does sustainability mean to you?

Definition of Sustainability

“Sustainable development is

development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the

ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

- The United Nations – Our Common Future (1987)

What does it really mean?

Sustainable for Generations

y Indigenous people – those who originally lived in North, Central, and South America followed this guideline and still do: Decisions must be made

only after considering their impact on the next seven generations.

What does that really

mean?

Everyone says, “I’m .”

Photo: Is Cisco (CSCO) EnergyWise greenwashing?, Datacenter 2.0, http://viriditysoftware.wordpress.com/2009/01/29/is-cisco-csco-energywise-greenwashing (Feb. 16, 2010).

What do you think is the

ultimate goal of business? $

The Triple Bottom Line

y A way for people to think about sustainability and incorporate it into their lives

Planet (Environment)

People (Social equity)

Profits (Economy)

Sustainability

Planet People

Profits

Sustainability

What is global climate change?

What do you

think is changing?

Why does global climate change matter?

y Our climate is changing: y Some areas are getting warmer y Some areas are getting cooler y Some areas are getting more rain and storms y Spin and duration of hurricanes is up by 50%

y Business are putting out more greenhouse gases

y Resources are being used at a very fast rate

y To allow for future generations to meet their needs, we must decide to do things differently

It’s not just global warming!

Where is this? What is it from?

Garbage floating in the Atlantic Ocean

Garbage of all sizes

can be harmful to

fish, sea mammals

– even humans!

Some pieces of plastic are so tiny that

they are nearly

invisible

Fish can not distinguish the tiny plastic bits from plankton

Plastic in the Pacific Ocean

y 3.5 million tons of junk y 80% is plastic

y Affected area is between California and Hawaii y Two times the size of

Texas!

Plastic in the Pacific Ocean: Sea turtle constricted by a plastic milk jug ring

Reusing vs. Recycling

Reuse

y Products are reused by the consumer

y No energy is required to make product useful again

y Sustainable and environmentally friendly

y This method is ideal but not always practical

Recycle

y Products are broken down and re-manufactured into other products

y Energy is used to transport recycled materials

y Energy is used to manufacture new goods from recycled materials

y Ex: Recycled pop bottles become plastic bags

y Better than throwing things into the garbage

Recycling

What can you recycle?

How do you recycle?

What happens with the material you recycle?

Just about anything! Plastic, paper, cardboard, metal, glass…

Some areas take your recyclable material at the curb – similar to garbage. Some

recycling centers have drop-off areas.

These materials are broken down and can be used to make new things!

What kinds of things can be made from

recycled material?

What can you do?

y Recycle

y Save energy y Turn off lights

y Save resources y Use less water

y Continue learning about sustainability!